The hospital smells like bleach and bad decisions. I open my eyes to a white ceiling, the kind of sterile nothing that makes you question if you're alive or just stuck in some cosmic waiting room. For a second, I swear I can still feel the fire—flames licking my skin, the mansion crumbling, my screams swallowed by ash. But the beeping monitor next to me says otherwise. My chest moves. I'm breathing.
I died, didn't I? Betrayed by the people I loved, burned alive in my own home. Yet here I am, heart pounding, alive.
I glance at the hospital chart. Haicheng General. Two years before my death. Two years before everything went to hell.
A slow, bitter laugh escapes me. Fate's got a sick sense of humor.
---
The door clicks open, and a nurse bustles in, all fake cheer. "Miss Xu, you're awake! You collapsed at the gala. They're saying it was exhaustion."
Exhaustion. Right. Try betrayal—my fiancé, my best friend, my whole damn family stabbing me in the back.
I catch my reflection in the blank TV screen—pale, polished, no scars. Not a mark from the fire. My lips twitch, but it's not a smile. It's something sharper.
I'm back. And I'm not wasting this shot.
---
When the nurse leaves, the room's too quiet, like it's holding its breath. I stare at my hands—smooth, no burns, no trembling. These hands signed away my life once. Not again.
"Two years," I mutter. "Plenty of time to burn their world down."
My phone buzzes on the bedside table. That ringtone—it used to make my heart skip. Xiao Jian. My fiancé. The man who smiled while he sent me to my death.
I pick up, voice steady. "Hey."
"Lanying, you scared me last night." His voice is warm, smooth, like he's practiced it. "You okay?"
"Peachy," I say, soft but sharp. "Just tired."
"I'll send the driver. You shouldn't push yourself. The charity project still needs you."
Oh, I remember that project. The one they used to steal my inheritance and ruin my name. "Yeah," I say. "I'll be there."
This time, I'm pulling the strings.
---
By the time I'm out of the hospital, the sun's fading, and Haicheng's skyline is all gold and sharp edges, like a city built to cut you. It's gorgeous and cruel, just like the people running it.
My driver opens the car door, but I freeze when I spot him across the parking lot. Lu Shen. Haicheng's untouchable king—tall, tailored, face like he's already calculated your worth and found you lacking. In my last life, we never met. He was just a name, a myth, the kind of man who could ruin empires without blinking.
Now he's here, leaning against a black car, phone to his ear, sharp as a blade in the dying light.
Our eyes meet for a split second. Not sparks, not romance—just two predators sizing each other up. He looks away, sliding into his car like I'm nothing.
I smirk. "Keep walking, Lu. You'll notice me soon enough."
---
The charity gala's at the Xu Design building—my family's crown jewel, and the stage for my downfall last time. Marble floors shine, chandeliers drip light, and every face is a mask hiding a knife. I'm playing the part—poised heiress, perfect fiancée—but inside, I'm mapping every move.
"Lanying, you look *amazing*," Sun Rouran purrs, looping her arm through mine. My best friend. My murderer.
I tilt my head, all fake warmth. "And you're overdressed, as usual."
She laughs, bright and brittle. "Like I could ever outshine you."
You did once, I think. Never again.
---
The night's a script I've lived before. Music, champagne, fake smiles. At 8:47, Xiao Jian will toast with Chairman Lu. At 8:52, Rouran will "accidentally" spill wine on my dress. At 9:00, I'll be photographed looking like a mess, my reputation cracked open for the vultures.
Not this time.
When Rouran's glass tips, I'm ready. I step aside, smooth as hell, catching the wine with a napkin before it hits me. "Whoa, Rouran," I say, all sugar. "Slow down. You're a mess before dessert."
The crowd around us chuckles. Rouran's smile freezes, her eyes narrowing just a fraction. Checkmate, for now.
---
I think that's the night's big twist—until the lights flicker. Once, twice. The room hums with confusion, and my gaze snaps up. There he is. Lu Shen. Standing across the banquet hall, talking to the chairman like he owns the place. He wasn't here in my first life. Something's shifting, and I don't know if it's fate or me.
My father approaches, all forced smiles. "Lanying, come meet Mr. Lu. He's sponsoring the foundation."
My breath catches. Sponsoring? That's new. The script's changing, and I don't know who's rewriting it.
Lu Shen's handshake is firm, his eyes unreadable. "Miss Xu," he says. "Heard you're Haicheng's next big designer."
"And I heard you're the guy nobody says no to," I shoot back.
His lips twitch, almost a smile. "Then don't."
My pulse skips, not from butterflies but from something heavier. Like we're two players in a game we both know is rigged.
---
Later, on the terrace, the city lights stretch out like a challenge. My reflection in the glass looks flawless, but I feel the fire inside me, the one that never went out.
My phone buzzes—an unknown number.
> *Miss Xu, I believe we can help each other. I need a wife. You need a shield.*
No name, but I know it's him. Lu Shen. Offering a deal that smells like danger and opportunity.
I smirk at my reflection, eyes glinting. "Haicheng," I whisper, "you're not ready for what I'm bringing."
Across the city, Lu Shen sets his phone down, a ghost of a smile on his face.
Fate's laughing. I'm not.